Design for one,
Create for all
We are an inclusive innovation consultancy, innovating through diversity to create better products and services for everyone.
We celebrate our differences
There’s no such thing as an average person. We live, speak, and experience the world in beautifully different ways, yet many products are still designed as if we’re all the same. At Studio Exception, we see difference not as a challenge, but as the foundation for better, more inclusive design.
Paris Olympics
Inclusive Spaces
We curated best-in-class accessible design resource formed from inclusive research with Paralympians ahead of Paris 2024. Our guide spanning visual, environmental, and digital accessibility, supported inclusive decision-making in the design of Olympic spaces and experiences.
Standard Chartered
Play on, Girls!
Uncovering how young women engage with sport across India, Kenya, and Vietnam, we revealed motivations, barriers, and emotional drivers. Insights informed the ‘Play On’ campaign, shaping meaningful engagement and tackling gender disparities through culturally grounded research and actionable recommendations.
Sky
An Inclusive Home
We set out to reimagine home entertainment through the lens of cognitive and physical inclusion. By designing with lived experience, we created a universal concept, now on Sky’s five-year roadmap, and shift how inclusive design is practiced internally.
What we do
Inclusive Innovation
Inclusive Innovation that works for everyone. At Studio Exception, we believe innovation is only truly transformative when it includes everyone. We design with intentional inclusivity - not as an afterthought, but as a driver of better outcomes for businesses, communities, and the planet.
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Our approach starts with people. We engage diverse voices from the outset - including those often excluded from mainstream research - to ensure that the solutions we build are relevant, respectful, and empowering.
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We blend design thinking, behavioural insight, and lived experience to generate creative solutions that reflect the richness of real-world contexts. This helps our clients unlock new value while advancing equity.
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From pilot to product, we build with sustainability and scalability in mind. Our methods include frameworks to measure the social, emotional, and commercial impact of inclusive innovation — so progress isn’t just felt, it’s proven.
Inclusive Research
We design research that sees and values the full spectrum of human experience. Our methods are built to include, not exclude, so that the insights we uncover lead to more equitable, impactful innovation.
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We intentionally engage people often left out of traditional research - whether due to disability, language, socio-economic background, or neurodiversity — to surface insights that are deeper, richer, and more representative.
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Film brings lived experience to life — building empathy, challenging assumptions, and making insight impossible to ignore. More than documentation, it’s a tool for influence and alignment, helping teams see the human impact behind every decision.
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We go beyond surface-level data to generate actionable insight that challenges assumptions, unlocks opportunity, and shapes design that works for more people — not just the majority.
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"It’s been the most rewarding project I've ever been involved with, The Exception Method should be a criteria for any business.“
Lisa Payne
Director of Global Product / Design UX Research
Condé Nast -
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"I think this could set a roadmap for how we do product development all across, I can see opportunities all over the place now."
Natalie Patrice Tucker
Senior Accessibility Lead
Spotify -
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"We're truly inspired by The Exception Method - their approach makes the car better for not only exceptions, but makes it better for everyone."
Joanne Pearson
Global Customer Insights Director
Jaguar Land Rover -
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"The work delivered is incredibly worthwhile changing the world for the better; they are a hardworking and trustworthy partner."
Sarah Bromley
Change & Communications Manager
Jaguar Land Rover -
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I was expecting small ideas but actually it's really big. I love the method and I love that we did things differently and designed for one individual.
James Stevens
Chief of Staff
Sky
Our Exception Directory
A growing library of real stories, lived experiences, and edge-case insights that challenge the norm and spark inclusive innovation. Each entry highlights an ‘exception’ - an individual whose unique perspective reveals hidden barriers and untapped opportunities. The Directory aims to shift your thinking, reframe assumptions, and design with greater empathy and impact.
Meet Isaac
Isaac is a bold, kind video producer and model redefining life with limb/pelvic hypo/aplasia. By sharing his story and building community, he challenges exclusion and reshapes how disability is seen and experienced.
Meet Waad
Waad, in her early 20s, is a tech enthusiast and disability inclusion advocate from Kuwait. Born blind, she holds a degree in English Literature and speaks powerfully about exclusion, especially in digital spaces.
Meet Ramneek
Ramneek is a rising star, a young woman with a visual impairment tackling engineering and advocacy head-on. Winner of a Samsung prize, she’s determined to change the world for those with VI through innovation and lived insight.
Meet Tess
Tess is a vibrant influencer whose charisma and style shine through her thoughtful content. Living with SMA, she navigates a world not designed for her, with independence, ambition, and a presence that is both iconic and welcoming.
Our ethos
Studio Exception was born five years ago from the shared belief that the future is shaped at the edges. Founded by Ruby and Dawood the studio was built on a deep commitment to question what’s considered ‘normal’ and design with, not just for, those most often excluded. Our work is driven by empathy, curiosity, and a commitment to challenge assumptions. We’re here to unlock inclusive innovation that creates lasting impact for people, for businesses, and for culture.